Apparatus for sizing yarns



Dec. 30, 1958 ca. L. BALL APPARATUS FOR SIZING YARNS Filed June 17, 1954 ATTORNEY &

INVENTOR GAINES LAM A R BALL ll s United States Patent O APPARATUS FOR SIZING YARNS Gaines Lamar Ball, West Point, Ga., assignor to Batson- Cook Company, West Point, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application June 17, 1954, Serial No. 437,536

Claims. (Cl. 2828) The present invention relates to an apparatus for sizing yarns, especially warps for the purpose of preparing them forweavin'g, and is used in connection with slashers or yarn dryers.

In the previously known sizing devices, the warp yarn is passed over a roller into the size box and under an immersion roll which is adjustable up and down to take the yarn down beneath the level of the liquid size in the box to the desired depth below the surface of the liquid size; then the yarn is passed upwardly and between pairs of quetsch rolls, or squeeze rolls, and then outwardly from the size box and into the dryer or slasher.

It has been found in these previously known size boxes that the immersed yarns pick up hot size on their surface which, dueto entrained air, frequently does not penetrate the yarn fiber before it emerges from the size;

and, since the sizeis hot, it becomes partially dry prior to the'passage ofthe yarn .between the quetsch rolls.

The. yarn thereforetends to -have .an .Tuneven surface coating of size.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means and method of improving the penetration of the size into the warp yarns passing through the size box.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means to assure contact of the size mixture to both sides of the yarn, giving an improved immersion.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means to force the size solution into intimate contact with the strands of yarn in the absence of air.

It is a still further object of the present invention to subject the yarns to a squeezing action while the yarn is below or near the liquid level of the size solution in the size box.

Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art in connection with the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several views, and wherein:

Fig. l is a plan view partly in section of a size box showing the immersion rolls of the present invention retracted indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the size box of Fig. 1 with the immersion rolls of the present invention in operating position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a different exemplification of the size box of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a size box applying the principle of the present invention by use of a different structural arrangement.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 2, the warp yarns or threads pass over a roll 11, then down under immersion rolls 12 and 13, thence upwardly to pass between rolls 14 and 15 which are conventional quetsch or squeeze rolls, and between a second set of quetsch rolls 16, 17, thence to the dryer, not shown. Rolls 14 and 16, it will be noted, run almost half immersed in the hot size solution 18 which is contained in vat or box 19. The

immersion rolls 12, 13 are supported by arm 20 which is pivotally mounted at 20'. This pivot 20' is mounted on a support which is adjustable vertically so that, at need, the immersion rolls may be elevated to be completely above the surface of the size solution, or may be deeply immersed to give maximum exposure of the yarns to the size solution. A roller 21 engages a longitudinal groove in arm 20. This arrangement permits free vertical adjustment of the immersion rolls. Roller 21 is carried on horizontal piston rod 21' which is moved by pneumatic, or hydraulic, pressure acting on a piston in cylinder 22. The arm 20 in Pig. 2 is shown swung to the right under the influence of pneumatic pressure in cylinder 22 to press'immersion roll 13 against roll 14 below the surface of the liquid size material 18. The surface of the roll 13' may be of a rubber-like material or have other soft covering, as do squeeze rolls 15 and 17.

The device of Fig. 3 is similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 except that only one immersion roll 13 is used. This does not have the desirable feature of exposing both sides of the yarn to the size as effectively as is done by the twin immersion roll of Fig. 2; but, due to the application of the principle of my invention, it will be found to be superior to previously known single immersion roll size boxes.

The starch or size solution must be maintained at a relatively high temperature to prevent coagulation of the viscous solution. As soon as the yarn leaves the liquid level, cooling begins; and in the conventional squeeze setup, this lower temperature is not desirable and is detrimental to the process. To overcome'this condi tion, according to my invention, pressure is applied to the yarn beforeit makes its exit from the liquid.- Several arrangements are shown in Figs. 2, j and 4. In Figs. 2 and 3, the immersion roll 13 is forced against the surface -of roll 14, thereby forcing the size solution into intimate contact with the strands of yarn; and since this takes place below the liquid level, the temperature is maintained as it should be. The impregnating takes place in the absence of air, which is another source of trouble in the conventional size box, as entrained air prevents the size solution from covering the strands uniformly.

Fig. 4 shows an arrangement whereby immersion roll 12 can be forced against immersion roll 13 thereby squeezing the yarn and size mix before going to quetsch roll 14. Support 20 of roll 13' in Fig. 4 is mounted so as not to swing about pivot 20' in order that positive pressure can be placed on the warp yarns passing upwardly between rolls 12 and 13. Two pins 20 are therefore shown to support arm 20" in order to prevent its swinging.

While roll 13 has been referred to above as an immersion roll, it is in a sense simiar in operation to squeeze rolls 15 and 17, and the roll 13 or 13' may therefore be referred to as a preliminary squeeze roll as in each case it squeezes the size into the yarn fiber as a preliminary step to squeezing by rolls 14, 15, 16 and 17. It will be seen from the above that the present invention contemplates complete exposure of the yarn to the size solution andthe squeezing of the immersed warp in the absence of air to force the size solution into intimate association with the fibers of the warp in the presence of the heat and fluidity of the size bath.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the method and apparatus herein disclosed will be useful in dyeing and other treatment of yarn besides sizing, and that many changes and variations may be made in the exemplifications of my invention, as described above, to obtain controlled uniform penetration without departing from the scope of my. invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Sizing apparatus for warp thread comprising a sizing vat adapted to contain sizing solution therein, immersion means at least partially located below the normal level of sizing solution in said vat, means for passing warp threads in a free flight below the normal level of said sizing solution in said vat to said immersion means, and means cooperating with the immersion means to squeeze said yarn while submerged and after said free flight.

2. Sizing apparatus for warp thread comprising a sizing vat adapted to contain sizing solution therein, immersion means at least partially located below the normal lev l of sizing solution in said vat, meansfor passing warp threads in a free flight below the normal level of said sizing solution in said vat to said immersion means, a pair of squeeze rolls between which said warp threads are adapted to be pressed after leaving the solution, one of said rolls being located at least partially below the normal level of size solution in said vat, said immersion means and a portion of said one of said squeeze rolls below the normal level of solution in said vat forming a nip beneath the normal level solution in said vat through which the warp threads pass, and means for causing said warp threads to pass upwardly from said nip above the normal solution level of said vat.

3. Sizing apparatus for warp thread comprising a sizing vat adapted to contain sizing solution therein, an immersion roll located below the normal level of sizing solution in said vat, means for passing warp thread in a free flight below the normal level of sizing solutionin said vat and beneath said immersion roll, a pair of squeeze rolls between which said warp threads are adapted to pass after leaving the solution of said vat, one of said squeeze rolls being located at least partially below the normal level of sizing solution in said vat, means for pressing said warp threads between said immersion roll and said portion of said one squeeze roll below the normal level of solution in said vat, and means for delivering said yarn from the solution while maintaining contact with said one squeeze roll.

4. Sizing apparatus for Warp thread comprising a sizing vat adapted to contain sizing solution therein, immersion means at least partially located below the normal level of sizing solution in said vat, means for passing warp threads in a free flight below the normal level of said sizing solution in said vat to said immersion means, a pair of squeeze rolls between which said warp threads are adapted to be pressed after leaving the solution, one of said rolls being located at least partially below the normal level of size solution in said vat, means for mounting said immersion means for movement toward and from said portion of said one squeeze roll below the normal level of solution to form a nip beneath the normal level solution in said vat, and means for causing said warp threads to pass upwardly from said nip and above the normal solution level of said vat.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which means are provided for passing said warp threads in horizontal free flight below the level of solution in said vat to said immersion roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 670,098 Brassard Mar. 19, 1901 1,953,799 Eaton Apr. 3, 1934 1,985,644 Pollock Dec. 25, 1934 2,203,375 Weiss June 4, 1940 2,402,652 Martin June 25, 1946 2,564,725 Rusca Aug. 21, 1951 2,565,407 Still Aug. 21, 1951 2,582,449 Miller et al Jan. 15, 1952 2,675,601 Still Apr. 20, 1954 2,698,984 Grifiin Jan. 11, 1955 2,752,66 Park J y 3, ,195 

